Pain During Labor and Delivery-
Pain during labor is caused by contractions of the muscles of the uterus and by pressure on the cervix. This pain can be felt as strong cramping in the abdomen, groin, and back, as well as an achy feeling. Some women experience pain in their sides or thighs as well.
Other causes of pain during labor include pressure on the bladder and bowels by the baby's head and the stretching of the birth canal and vagina.
Pain during labor is different for every woman. It varies widely from woman to woman and even from pregnancy to pregnancy.
It's often not the pain of each contraction on its own that women find the hardest, but the fact that the contractions keep coming — and that as labor progresses, there is less and less time between contractions to relax.
The most common description of the level of pain experienced was extreme menstrual cramps (45 percent), while 16 percent said it was like bad back pain and 15 percent compared it to a broken bone.
Words women use to describe their pain include cramping, sharp, aching, throbbing, pressing and shooting. Pain intensity varies widely and generally increases as labor progresses. Some women experience relatively little discomfort, even without pain medications.
What type of pain is labor pain?
